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eyes from what he was about. Yet his very elbows, when he
had his back towards me, seemed to teem with the expres-
sion of his fixed opinion that I was extremely young.
‘Can I do anything more, sir?’
I thanked him and said, No; but would he take no din-
ner himself?
‘None, I am obliged to you, sir.’
‘Is Mr. Steerforth coming from Oxford?’
‘I beg your pardon, sir?’
‘Is Mr. Steerforth coming from Oxford?’
‘I should imagine that he might be here tomorrow, sir. I
rather thought he might have been here today, sir. The mis-
take is mine, no doubt, sir.’
‘If you should see him first -’ said I.
‘If you’ll excuse me, sir, I don’t think I shall see him
first.’
‘In case you do,’ said I, ‘pray say that I am sorry he was
not here today, as an old schoolfellow of his was here.’
‘Indeed, sir!’ and he divided a bow between me and Trad-
dles, with a glance at the latter.
He was moving softly to the door, when, in a forlorn
hope of saying something naturally - which I never could,
to this man - I said:
‘Oh! Littimer!’
‘Sir!’
‘Did you remain long at Yarmouth, that time?’
‘Not particularly so, sir.’
‘You saw the boat completed?’
‘Yes, sir. I remained behind on purpose to see the boat